In recent years, many simulation games have been provided as the game programs for game apparatuses, particularly home video game devices. The simulation games have the object of allowing a player to compete with other people or the computer, while experiencing action games such as hand-to-hand fighting with characters appearing in the game, and vehicle racing. Especially in simulation games for hand-to-hand fighting, the player can operate a plurality of keys established on the controller in order to provide operating signals to the game device and control the behavior of a character such as a person engaging in hand-to-hand fighting.
Characters such as people have diverse behaviors, and the player can provide specific combat techniques to the displayed object engaged in the game by combining the operations of a plurality of keys. Normally, because the specific key operations require training, existing simulation games include a scene for training in key operations, called “practice mode”. The player can enter this mode during or before the start of the action game as he or she desires.
In this practice mode, the type of keys to be operated and the order in which they are operated or pressed are displayed on the screen in a window format. By pressing the keys in the order indicated, the player causes the displayed object, such as a character, to use the corresponding special techniques. When the key operations corresponding to the key operations indicated cannot be made, the displayed object cannot use the special techniques that are the object. The player can practice the key operations until the displayed object can use these techniques.
After a certain amount of practice, the player exits this practice mode and can begin or return to the scene of the action game.
Also, games that develop along a specific story line, called role-playing games, also employ the elements of a simulation game. In these types of games, this simulation mode emerges as the story develops. In these types of games as well, a player can enter practice mode and practice key operations for these special techniques.
When these game programs reach a simulation portion, such as a hand-to-hand fight or competition, as the story is developing, the progress of the story is stopped until the simulation scene is finished.
Here, this story may be considered to be a scenario that is developed under a specific concept, such as a novel.
The image processing apparatuses for these conventional games have the following problems. The mode of key operations for a displayed object to use special techniques is displayed in the form of symbols for the keys to be operated and the order of operation on the game screen, as discussed above.
However, it is not easy to convey that the player remember this arrangement of the symbols after completing the practice mode.
Also, in the role-playing games discussed above, the player must enter practice mode and become accustomed to the key operations to a certain extent, but this may cause stress to the player or cause the player to lose interest because the development of the story is temporarily stopped when a player enters a conventional practice mode during a story-like game.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus that comprises a new key operation instruction system for showing key operations that are easily remembered by a player.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus wherein, even if the player selects a key operation training scene in a role-playing game, the player is not stressed out by the story being stopped. Also, it is another object to attain an electronic game apparatus that is provided this image processing apparatus and a storage medium for storing programs that achieve the abovementioned objects.